Hello Kitty's Furry Tale Theater
Encyclopedia
Hello Kitty's Furry Tale Theater is an Japan
ese-American
co-produced animated series based on the popular Japanese character, Hello Kitty
. The series involved her and her friends doing their own version of popular fairy tales and stories. Each of the 13 half-hour episodes consisted of two 11-minute cartoons, for a total of 26 “shows”; each show was a spoof of a well-known fairy tale or movie.
, et cetera). Each show is a lighthearted takeoff of a children’s story or a popular movie; subjects include Frankenstein
, Crocodile Dundee
, “Goldilocks
,” and “How the Grinch Stole Christmas
.” At the end, the stage returns to normal, and the actors take their bow.
One exception to this format is the cartoon “The Phantom of the Theater,” which begins after the actors have finished a show; all the action in this story takes place backstage.
videocassettes were released, each containing four cartoon shorts, as well as the opening and closing sequences.
In 2003, five DVD
s were released by Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer
, each containing five cartoon shorts; the only one of the 26 not to be included was “How Scrinchip Stole Christmas.” The opening and closing sequences are not included.
Pinocchio Penguin" as a free download for a limited time.
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
ese-American
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
co-produced animated series based on the popular Japanese character, Hello Kitty
Hello Kitty
is a fictional character produced by the Japanese company Sanrio, first designed by Yuko Shimizu. She is portrayed as a female white Japanese bobtail cat with a red bow. The character's first appearance on an item, a vinyl coin purse, was introduced in Japan in 1974 and brought to the United States...
. The series involved her and her friends doing their own version of popular fairy tales and stories. Each of the 13 half-hour episodes consisted of two 11-minute cartoons, for a total of 26 “shows”; each show was a spoof of a well-known fairy tale or movie.
Characters and voices
- Tara CharandoffTara StrongTara Lyn Strong is a Canadian actress, voice-over artist, singer, who is best known for her voice work in cartoons.-Early life and career:...
- Hello Kitty - Elizabeth HannaElizabeth HannaElizabeth Hanna is a Canadian film and television actress, most notable for her voice acting work in animated films. She later complemented her voice acting skills by becoming a Speech-Language Pathologist.-Early history:...
- Mama Kitty / Grandma Kitty - Carl BanasCarl BanasCarl Banas is a Toronto born radio personality and actor. As a TV actor he appeared in the series Wojeck as police detective Byron James, and provided voices for numerous TV series and features. He was also known as a radio personality on Toronto radio station CKFM-FM, later and more famouly known...
- Grandpa Kitty - Len CarlsonLen CarlsonLen Carlson was a Canadian voice actor on many animated television series from the 1960s onward, an occasional live-action TV actor, and a Kraft Canada TV pitchman during the 1970s and 1980s...
- Papa Kitty - Sean RobergeSean RobergeSean Roberge was a Canadian actor with a long list of credits in Canadian and American television.He was born in Toronto, Ontario on November 1 in 1972.His parents were Rene and Brenda....
- Tuxedo J. Orville Sam - Mairon Bennett - My Melody
- Noam ZylbermanNoam ZylbermanNoam Zylberman is a voice actor best known for the voice of Split Kit from Garbage Pail Kids and also the voice of Bentley Raccoon in the popular animated series The Raccoons from 1988 to 1990....
- Chip - Cree Summer FrancksCree SummerCree Summer Francks , best known as Cree Summer, is a Canadian actress, musician and voice actress. She is perhaps best known for her role as college student Winifred "Freddie" Brooks on the NBC sitcom A Different World...
- Catnip - Denise Pidgeon - Fangora
- Greg Morton - Grinder
- Fred SavageFred SavageFredrick Aaron "Fred" Savage is an American actor, director and producer of television and film.He is best known for his role as Kevin Arnold in the American television series The Wonder Years and as the grandson in The Princess Bride...
- Mowzer
Format
Each cartoon opens with the theater filling up with patrons, and usually a look at some comical goings-on backstage. The play then begins (with Hello Kitty saying “Once upon a meow”) and the stage transforms into whatever setting the story calls for (outer space, the American Old WestAmerican Old West
The American Old West, or the Wild West, comprises the history, geography, people, lore, and cultural expression of life in the Western United States, most often referring to the latter half of the 19th century, between the American Civil War and the end of the century...
, et cetera). Each show is a lighthearted takeoff of a children’s story or a popular movie; subjects include Frankenstein
Frankenstein (1931 film)
Frankenstein is a 1931 Pre-Code Horror Monster film from Universal Pictures directed by James Whale and adapted from the play by Peggy Webling which in turn is based on the novel of the same name by Mary Shelley. The film stars Colin Clive, Mae Clarke, John Boles and Boris Karloff, and features...
, Crocodile Dundee
Crocodile Dundee
"Crocodile" Dundee is a 1986 Australian comedy film set in the Australian Outback and in New York City. It stars Paul Hogan as the weathered Mick Dundee and Linda Kozlowski as Sue Charlton....
, “Goldilocks
The Three Bears
"The Story of the Three Bears" is a fairy tale first recorded in narrative form by British author and poet Robert Southey, and first published anonymously in a volume of his writings in 1837...
,” and “How the Grinch Stole Christmas
How the Grinch Stole Christmas!
How the Grinch Stole Christmas! is a children's story by Dr. Seuss written in rhymed verse with illustrations by the author. It was published as a book by Random House in 1957, and at approximately the same time in an issue of Redbook...
.” At the end, the stage returns to normal, and the actors take their bow.
One exception to this format is the cartoon “The Phantom of the Theater,” which begins after the actors have finished a show; all the action in this story takes place backstage.
Episode list
| Ep. | Cartoon | Spoof of: |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | The Wizard of Paws | The Wizard of Oz The Wizard of Oz (1939 film) The Wizard of Oz is a 1939 American musical fantasy film produced by Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer. It was directed primarily by Victor Fleming. Noel Langley, Florence Ryerson and Edgar Allan Woolf received credit for the screenplay, but there were uncredited contributions by others. The lyrics for the songs... |
| Pinocchio Penguin | Pinocchio Pinocchio (1940 film) Pinocchio is a 1940 American animated film produced by Walt Disney and based on the story The Adventures of Pinocchio by Carlo Collodi. It is the second film in the Walt Disney Animated Classics, and it was made after the success of Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs and was released to theaters by... |
|
| 2 | Cinderkitty | Cinderella Cinderella "Cinderella; or, The Little Glass Slipper" is a folk tale embodying a myth-element of unjust oppression/triumphant reward. Thousands of variants are known throughout the world. The title character is a young woman living in unfortunate circumstances that are suddenly changed to remarkable fortune... |
| The Pawed Piper | The Pied Piper of Hamelin The Pied Piper of Hamelin The Pied Piper of Hamelin is the subject of a legend concerning the departure or death of a great many children from the town of Hamelin , Lower Saxony, Germany, in the Middle Ages. The earliest references describe a piper, dressed in pied clothing, leading the children away from the town never... |
|
| 3 | KT — The Kitty Terrestrial | E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial is a 1982 American science fiction film co-produced and directed by Steven Spielberg, written by Melissa Mathison and starring Henry Thomas, Dee Wallace, Robert MacNaughton, Drew Barrymore, and Peter Coyote... |
| Peter Penguin | Peter Pan Peter and Wendy Peter and Wendy, published in 1911, is the novelisation by J. M. Barrie of his most famous play Peter Pan; or, the Boy Who Wouldn't Grow Up... |
|
| 4 | Kittylocks and the Three Bears | Goldilocks and the Three Bears The Three Bears "The Story of the Three Bears" is a fairy tale first recorded in narrative form by British author and poet Robert Southey, and first published anonymously in a volume of his writings in 1837... |
| Paws — The Great White Dog Shark | Jaws Jaws (film) Jaws is a 1975 American horror-thriller film directed by Steven Spielberg and based on Peter Benchley's novel of the same name. In the story, the police chief of Amity Island, a fictional summer resort town, tries to protect beachgoers from a giant man-eating great white shark by closing the beach,... |
|
| 5 | Cat Wars | Star Wars Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope, originally released as Star Wars, is a 1977 American epic space opera film, written and directed by George Lucas. It is the first of six films released in the Star Wars saga: two subsequent films complete the original trilogy, while a prequel trilogy completes the... |
| Tar-Sam of the Jungle | Tarzan of the Apes Tarzan of the Apes Tarzan of the Apes is a novel written by Edgar Rice Burroughs, the first in a series of books about the title character Tarzan. It was first published in the pulp magazine All-Story Magazine in October, 1912; the first book edition was published in 1914. The character was so popular that Burroughs... |
|
| 6 | Sleeping Kitty | Sleeping Beauty Sleeping Beauty Sleeping Beauty by Charles Perrault or Little Briar Rose by the Brothers Grimm is a classic fairytale involving a beautiful princess, enchantment, and a handsome prince... |
| Kitty and the Kong | King Kong King Kong (1933 film) King Kong is a Pre-Code 1933 fantasy monster adventure film co-directed by Merian C. Cooper and Ernest B. Schoedsack, and written by Ruth Rose and James Ashmore Creelman after a story by Cooper and Edgar Wallace. The film tells of a gigantic island-dwelling apeman creature called Kong who dies in... |
|
| 7 | Kitty and the Beast | Beauty and the Beast Beauty and the Beast Beauty and the Beast is a traditional fairy tale. The first published version of the fairy tale was a rendition by Gabrielle-Suzanne Barbot de Villeneuve, published in La jeune américaine, et les contes marins in 1740... |
| Little Red Bunny Hood | Little Red Riding Hood Little Red Riding Hood Little Red Riding Hood, also known as Little Red Cap, is a French fairy tale about a young girl and a Big Bad Wolf. The story has been changed considerably in its history and subject to numerous modern adaptations and readings.... |
|
| 8 | Snow White Kitty and the One Dwarf | Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs Snow White "Snow White" is a fairy tale known from many countries in Europe, the best known version being the German one collected by the Brothers Grimm... |
| Frankencat | Frankenstein Frankenstein (1931 film) Frankenstein is a 1931 Pre-Code Horror Monster film from Universal Pictures directed by James Whale and adapted from the play by Peggy Webling which in turn is based on the novel of the same name by Mary Shelley. The film stars Colin Clive, Mae Clarke, John Boles and Boris Karloff, and features... |
|
| 9 | Catula | Dracula Dracula (1931 film) Dracula is a 1931 vampire-horror film directed by Tod Browning and starring Bela Lugosi as the title character. The film was produced by Universal and is based on the stage play of the same name by Hamilton Deane and John L... |
| Paws of the Round Table | The Sword in the Stone The Sword in the Stone The Sword in the Stone is a novel by T. H. White, published in 1939, initially a stand-alone work but now the first part of a tetralogy The Once and Future King. A fantasy of the boyhood of King Arthur, it is a sui generis work which combines elements of legend, history, fantasy and comedy... |
|
| 10 | Rumpeldogskin | Rumpelstiltskin Rumpelstiltskin Rumpelstiltskin is the eponymous character and protagonist of a fairy tale which originated in Germany . The tale was collected by the Brothers Grimm, who first published it in the 1812 edition of Children's and Household Tales... |
| Robin Penguin | Robin Hood Robin Hood Robin Hood was a heroic outlaw in English folklore. A highly skilled archer and swordsman, he is known for "robbing from the rich and giving to the poor", assisted by a group of fellow outlaws known as his "Merry Men". Traditionally, Robin Hood and his men are depicted wearing Lincoln green clothes.... |
|
| 11 | Hello Mother Goose | Various nursery rhyme Nursery rhyme The term nursery rhyme is used for "traditional" poems for young children in Britain and many other countries, but usage only dates from the 19th century and in North America the older ‘Mother Goose Rhymes’ is still often used.-Lullabies:... s |
| Crocodile Penguin | Crocodile Dundee Crocodile Dundee "Crocodile" Dundee is a 1986 Australian comedy film set in the Australian Outback and in New York City. It stars Paul Hogan as the weathered Mick Dundee and Linda Kozlowski as Sue Charlton.... |
|
| 12 | Grinder Genie and the Magic Lamp | Aladdin Aladdin Aladdin is a Middle Eastern folk tale. It is one of the tales in The Book of One Thousand and One Nights , and one of the most famous, although it was actually added to the collection by Antoine Galland .... |
| The Ugly Quackling | The Ugly Duckling The Ugly Duckling "The Ugly Duckling" is a literary fairy tale by Danish poet and author Hans Christian Andersen . The story tells of a homely little bird born in a barnyard who suffers abuse from his neighbors until, much to his delight , he matures into a beautiful swan, the most beautiful bird of all... |
|
| 13 | How Scrinchip Stole Christmas | How the Grinch Stole Christmas! How the Grinch Stole Christmas! How the Grinch Stole Christmas! is a children's story by Dr. Seuss written in rhymed verse with illustrations by the author. It was published as a book by Random House in 1957, and at approximately the same time in an issue of Redbook... |
| The Phantom of the Theater | The Phantom of the Opera The Phantom of the Opera Le Fantôme de l'Opéra is a novel by French writer Gaston Leroux. It was first published as a serialisation in "Le Gaulois" from September 23, 1909 to January 8, 1910... |
Availability
Two VHSVHS
The Video Home System is a consumer-level analog recording videocassette standard developed by Victor Company of Japan ....
videocassettes were released, each containing four cartoon shorts, as well as the opening and closing sequences.
In 2003, five DVD
DVD
A DVD is an optical disc storage media format, invented and developed by Philips, Sony, Toshiba, and Panasonic in 1995. DVDs offer higher storage capacity than Compact Discs while having the same dimensions....
s were released by Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer
Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer
Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Inc. is an American media company, involved primarily in the production and distribution of films and television programs. MGM was founded in 1924 when the entertainment entrepreneur Marcus Loew gained control of Metro Pictures, Goldwyn Pictures Corporation and Louis B. Mayer...
, each containing five cartoon shorts; the only one of the 26 not to be included was “How Scrinchip Stole Christmas.” The opening and closing sequences are not included.
Home video
- Hello Kitty: Kitty and the Beast (also includes “Grinder Genie and the Magic Lamp,” “Hello Mother Goose,” and “Little Red Bunny Hood”)
- Hello Kitty: Wizard of Paws (also includes “Snow White Kitty,” “Sleeping Kitty,” and “Peter Penguin”)
- On October 31, 1989, Hello Kitty's Furry Tale Theater" was contained in "Hello Kitty and Friends Get Along which was released as part of The Video Collection.
DVD list
- Hello Kitty Becomes a Princess
- Hello Kitty Goes to the Movies
- Hello Kitty Plays Pretend
- Hello Kitty Saves the Day
- Hello Kitty Tells Fairy Tales
iTunes
In 2008, all thirteen episodes were made available to download on iTunes for $1.99 an episode or $21.99 for the entire series. To promote the series, iTunes offered the episodes "Wizard of Paws andPinocchio Penguin" as a free download for a limited time.
External links
- Hello Kitty's Furry Tale Theater episode guide at the Big Cartoon DataBaseBig Cartoon DataBaseThe Big Cartoon DataBase is an online database of information about animated cartoons, animated feature films, animated television shows and cartoon shorts....
- Hello Kitty's Furry Tale Theater at Toonarific.com
- Hello Kitty's Furry Tale Theater at Film.com
- The opening sequence on YouTubeYouTubeYouTube is a video-sharing website, created by three former PayPal employees in February 2005, on which users can upload, view and share videos....
- Hello Kitty's Furry Tale Theatre on hulu.com